Congo on health alert after first death in new ebola outbreak

CONGO yesterday announced the first ebola death since a new outbreak was declared, as well as nine other cases of people struck down with a haemorrhagic fever suspected of being ebola.

Health Minister Oly Ilunga said the patient who died was a nurse. Three other nurses also were being treated for haemorrhagic fever, he said.

Congo health officials declared an ebola outbreak on Tuesday after lab tests confirmed the deadly virus in two cases from the town of Bikoro, in the Equateur province.

Officials from the World Health Organisation and other international health agencies are in the area to help contain the outbreak.

The death happened at a hospital in nearby Ikoko Impenge that also reported four new suspected cases of ebola, Mr Ilunga said. “This situation worries us and requires a very immediate and energetic response,” he said.

This is the ninth ebola outbreak in Congo since 1976, when the deadly disease was first identified.

Ebola occasionally jumps to humans from animals, including bats and monkeys.

There is no specific treatment for ebola, which is spread through the bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms.

Without preventive measures, the virus can spread quickly between people and is fatal in up to 90 per cent of cases.

None of the ebola outbreaks in Congo have been connected to the massive outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa that began in 2014 and left more than 11,300 dead.